Flexible support foe umbrellas



(No Modl.)

' 2 sheat s-Sheet 1.

W. J. YAPP. FLEXIBLE SUPPORT FOR UMBRELLAS, &c.

Patented Jun 12, 1894.

WITNESSES.

mysufom l I I My ms mmmvp. umanmmma COMPANY.

WASNINSYON, D C.

A TTORNE Y8 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. J. YAPP. FLEXIBLE SUPPORT FOR UMBRELLAS, 8w. No. 521,355 Patented June 12, 1894.

WITNESSES. mveuron: -ea e M w.

ATTORNEYS UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JOHNSTON YAPP, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FLEXIBLE SUPPORT FOR UMBRELLAS, 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N 0. 521,355, dated June 12, 1894.

Application filed September 27, 1893.' flerial No. 486.632. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JOHNSTON YAPP, boot manufacturer, of 210 Sloane Street, L0ndon,S. W., England, have invented a new and useful Improved Flexible Support for Umbrellas and Sunshades, applicable also as a standard or support for desks and other articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a support chiefly designed for holding an umbrella or sunshade in position as an awning above an outdoor seat but applicable as a standard for a book rest, desk, and such like, and the invention consists essentially in making the support or standard of flexible metallic tubing constructedof a spirally coiled interlocking strip, the ends of the standard being fitted with plugs provided with clamping de vices, and a stiffening wire traversing the standard and having its ends held in slots formed in the inner ends of the plugs, the construction being such that while the standard is sufficiently rigid to support the umbrella, book rest, desk, or other article, in any position to which it may be set, its flexibility enables the position of the umbrella, &c., to be readily adjusted by bending the standard in the required direction.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 illustrates the invention as applied to support an umbrella over a garden seat. Fig. 2 is a part sectional broken view of the standard and its connections separately.

The standard A is a piece of flexible tubing formed of a spirally-coiled steel strip (I having grooves formed alternately on opposite sides, the coils interlocking as shown and the terminal plugs B O fit in the ends of the tubular flexible standard and are secured by crosspins or otherwise, the plugs being shouldered so as to abut against the ends of the tube. The plug 0 is fitted into a socket D and is prevented from turning by the ends of a crosspin c'entering notches d in the end of the socket. This socket forms part of a screw clamp E adapted to be affixed to the back of order to give the standard A the necessary stilfness to adapt it to its intended purpose, it is traversed by a steel wire G whose ends are bent at right angles and held in diametrical slots in the inner ends of the plugs B C and before cross-pinning or otherwise securing the one plug aftersecuring the other, a certain amount of twist is given to the wire in the direction of coiling the spiral strip a forming the tube which puts the tube under an initial strain preventing the coils from unwinding and tending to draw them closer together so as to make them work stiffiy on one another in order to give the tube the necessary rigidity to enable it to support the umbrella in whatever position it may be placed.

Although I have described my invention as-an umbrella support I would have it understood that I do not limit myself in this respect, the apparatus minus the clamps being adapted to form a standard or support for desks and other articles.

I claim- The combination With the flexible metallic tubular standard, constructed of a spirally coiled interlocking strip, of the plugs fitting the ends of said standard, clamping devices connected with the said plugs, and a stiffening wire traversing the said standard and having its ends held in slots formed in the inner ends of the said plugs, substantially as shown and described.

WILLIAM JOHNSTON YAPP. 

